5.22.2014

Alumni News: 1980s.

We've got more updates from our alumni family. See what your former classmates are up to here and in upcoming issues of the Victory Journal. Let us know what you're doing at alumni@wol.org.

Angela (Visserman) Cernilli (’80) works as a registered nurse in a doctor’s office. Her husband, Gene, is an engineer. They are involved in ministry at Colonial Baptist Church in Cary, North Carolina. They have three children: Elise Martin, Michael, and Kristen.

John Carrel (’80) designs houses and has ministered for 28 years with Word of Life Olympians. He attends Heritage Baptist Church in Kentwood, Michigan. He has four children: Shaina (Shukee), Garren, Michael, and Brent.

Jane (Fawley) Slusher (’80) and her husband, David, have two children: Nathan and Adam. They attend Grace Community Church in Hudsonville, Michigan.

Penny (Relyea) Schlueter (’80) is a dental claims specialist for Aetna. She ministers at Baptist Church of Northville in Northville, New York, in music and in the nursery. She and her husband, Bob (Chip), have two children: Erin and Matthew.

Deborah (Anderson) Tingley (’80) works as a medical claims examiner, serves with the Gideons, and is on the finance committee at Living Stone Community Church in Standish, Maine. She and her husband, Lee, have two children: Erika (Smith) and Michael.

David Bailey (’81) is a business development manager for an international engineering and steel detailing company. He enjoys racing and bicycling. He and his wife, Melissa (Warner) (’81), have two children: Jonathan and Arianna.

John Maynard ('81) and his wife, Linda, are in their 34th year of ministry with Word of Life Local Church Ministries in Amsterdam, New York. They have three children: Aaron, Shaun, and Melissa. They attend Emmanuel Baptist Church in Gloversville, New York.

David and Amy (Niccum) Sciacca (’81) have a son, Charles. David is a truck driver, and Amy is involved in missions, helping others use the skills and abilities God has given them.

Pam (Smith) Kryger (’81) is a dental hygienist, a cancer patient counselor, and a cook for all events that happen at Berean Baptist Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She and her husband, John, have five children: Mandy, Like, Erika, Jared, and Emily.

James McMahon (’83) is an Army pilot who travels to “interesting” places. He and his wife, Tammy (’86), attend Garden Chapel in Middletown, Pennsylvania, and have three children: Joshua, Kaylee, and Kelsey.

Ed Henderson (’84) is involved in music and children’s ministry at Huber Heights First Baptist Church in Dayton, Ohio. He and his wife, Lori, have three children: Alyssa, Kelsie, and Molly.
 
Sherrie (Dickinson) Farnsworth (’84) homeschools two of her children, leads a ladies Bible study, and is a Bible quizzing coordinator. She and her husband, James, have four children: Donnie, Kelsey, Caleb, and Savannah. They attend Calvary Baptist Church in Covington, Kentucky.

Tara (Goheens) Bubar ('84) works as a school lunch aide. She and her husband, David (’84), have two children: Brittney (17) and Ashley (15).

Barbara Thurlow (’84) attends Calvary Chapel of Canterbury in Scotland, Connecticut, and has two children: Danielle and Cynthia.

Cheryle Wight (’84) is a single mom working at a school for children with autism. She attends Christian Fellowship Church in Scotland, Connecticut, and has three children: Mishel, Amanda, and Matthew.

James Hardy ('85) is an airline mechanic at LaGuardia Airport in New York and is studying online with Liberty University. He attends Latham Bible Baptist Church in Latham, New York.

Bethany (Cline) Gordon (’85, ’86) and her husband, Dean, have five children: Laura, Hollie, Emily, Jillian, and Shannon. They attend Christian Fellowship Church in Scotland, Connecticut.

Bruce Wagner (‘86) teaches English at Nautilus Middle School in Miami Beach, Florida, and is an adjunct professor at South Florida Bible College and Theological Seminary in Deerfield Beach, Florida. He and his wife, Margaret, have five children: Sherry (Toonder), Rebekah (Hoskins), Leah, Elizabeth (Wright), and Sarah. They attend First Baptist Church of Westwood Lake.

John Jacobs (’86) is a civil engineer. He and his wife, Karen, attend Orchard Avenue Baptist Church in Vacaville, California. They have two children: Andrew and Amanda.

Karen (Bremmer) Ouellette (’86) is a registered nurse. She and her husband, Mel, have two children (both of whom have graduated from the Bible Institute): Monique and Michael. They attend Heritage Baptist Church in Kentwood, Michigan.

Peter and Debbie (Witherbee) Wallace (’86) are involved at Fredericktowne Baptist Church in Walkersville, Maryland, where Debbie is a piano teacher, youth leader, and director of music. Peter is involved in evangelism and discipleship.

Suzanna (Flowers) Adams (’86) and her husband, Nelson, have four children. They attend Clermont Baptists Church in Clermont, Florida.

Vonda (Kenyon) Cranfield (’86, ’87) works with special needs children and volunteers at a pregnancy care center. She and her husband, David, have two children: Joel and Courtney. They attend Grace Fellowship Church in Latham, New York.

Lee (’87) and Diane (Moore) (’86) Hamblen have six children: Peter, Sarah, Rebecca, Thomas, Anna, and Abigail. Lee is a children’s pastor at Island Christian Church in Northport, Long Island, New York.

Ashley (Gardner) Allen (’87) and her husband, Garth, a pastor at Loudonville Community Church in Loudonville, New York, have three children: Amanda (19), Cassidy (18), and Garth, Jr. (15).

Ken Mortensen ('87) and his wife, Vanessa, have three children: Ashely, Evan, and Brittany. They attend Life Church Jensen Beach in Jensen Beach, Florida.

Beth (Schermer) Ferguson (’87) works in graphic design and serves on the worship team at CrossWay Community Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is married to Kevin.

Kim Overholt (’87, ’88) is a public school teacher and works at Word of Life Ranch in the summer. She attends Heritage Baptist Church in Lakeland, Florida.

Shawn and Travis (Ray) DeGraff ('88) are involved at their church, East Auburn Baptist Church in Auburn, Maine. They have three children: Cody, Peyton, and Megan.

RoJean (Paddock) Hayden (’88) is a custodian at First Baptist Church in Pavilion, New York. She and her husband, Kendall, have three children: Kyle, Kirk, and Kayli. RoJean homeschools two of them.

Dave and Denise (Rhoads) Richard (’88, ’89) attend First Baptist Church of Winter Garden in Winter Garden, Florida, and have three children: Brittany, Dan, and Samantha. Dave is a business owner and director of operations for Shiloh Adventure Camp. Denise is a full-time mom and has worked with teens for 20-plus years.

Gerry Horton (’89) is a children’s pastor at First Baptist Church in Keystone Heights, Florida. He and his wife, Kim, have three children: Andrew (18), Ethan (16), and Emily (13).

Robin (Navaretta) Macary (’89) and her husband, Peter, have three children: Hannah (13), Josiah (10), and Jordan (7).

Robert Stoudt ('89) works for a government contractor inspecting military trucks and helps with the youth group at Fellowship Baptist Church in Watertown, New York. He and his wife, Tammy, have six children: Micah (20), Sharayah (19), Dominic (18), Caleb (16), Noah (14), and Savannah (12).

Jonathan Bubar ('89, '90) works in medical device sales. He and his wife, Cheryl, work with African refugees and have three children: Daniel (16), Drew (12), and Eloise (4). They attend First Baptist Church of Waldoboro in Waldoboro, Maine.

Ann (Towle) Jones ('89, '90) works for the United States Postal Service, is very involved in her church, and participates in missions trips to third-world countries. She is married to Michael and attends Bradford Baptist Church in Bradford, Maine.

Alumni News: 1970s
Alumni News: 1990s
Alumni News: 2000s
Alumni News: 2010s

Alumni News: 1970s.

We've got more updates from our alumni family. See what your former classmates are up to here and in upcoming issues of the Victory Journal. Let us know what you're doing at alumni@wol.org.

Deborah (Andes) Edwards ('71) and her husband, Jonathan, have one son, J. Richie. They attend Heritage Baptist Church in Lakeland, Florida.

Lee (’72) and Pat (Van Prooyen) (’71) Siemens are newly retired. They have three children: Corie, Joel, and Molly. They attend Heritage Baptist Church in Kentwood, Michigan.

Lorraine (Calder) Mahan (’72) and her husband, Ken, have three children: Shawn, Jeremy, and Jason. Ken is a leader at Above and Beyond Ministries. They attend Above and Beyond Community Church in Boca Raton, Florida.

Judy (Parschauer) (’73) is a musician at First Baptist Church in LaGrange, Ohio, and a music teacher. She and her husband, Charles, have three children: Aaron, Rebecca, and Charles.

Charlene Capron (’76) is working as an administrator for an insurance company. At her church, Calvary Baptist Church in Waterbury, Connecticut, she plays the keyboard, is the church clerk, and is on the missions committee. She is engaged to be married to a fellow student from her Word of Life Bible Institute year!

Arthur and Elaine (Kingman) Johnson (’76) have greenhouses and raise bedding plants, hanging plants, perennials, Christmas trees, etc., and have a ministry with the Amish. They have five adult children: Edward, BJ Charbonneau, Linda Anema, Marilyn Montesano, and John. They attend Hamburg Bible Church in Hamburg, Pennsylvania.

Rebecca (Baker) Raffo (’77) is a nursery director. She and her husband, David, have three children: Micah, Rachel, and Tabitha.

Chris Brown (’78) is a certified public accountant, owns his own business, and is an elder at Maranatha Bible Church in Comstock Park, Michigan. He and his wife, Gloria, have two children and are grandparents, too!

Francis and Patricia Welch (’78) are involved in a grief ministry and teach a life group. Patricia is a women’s speaker and writes ladies Bible studies. They attend Northcliffe Baptist Church in Spring Hill, Florida.

Tammy Hicks (’79) is an executive assistant at Raymond James in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Thomas and Ruthie Becker (’79) attend Grace Fellowship Church in Latham, New York. They have two children: Matthew and Joshua. Ruthie enjoys gardening, nursing, singing, and decorating.

Karen (Jesser) Zitta (’79) works at the WYMC as a swim instructor and is interested in real estate. She and her husband, Franklin, Jr., have four children: Hannah, Faith, Franklin III, and Joseph. They attend Grace Baptist Church in North Dinwiddie, Virginia.

Alumni News: 1980s
Alumni News: 1990s
Alumni News: 2000s
Alumni News: 2010s

4.24.2014

Be Praying: May Ministries Schedule.

See where the New York students are headed this spring, and pray along.

May 1-4
Spanish Ministry Team 1 to Brooklyn, New York

May 2
Travel team to Paul Smith’s College

May 2-4
Intersect event in Springfield, Massachusetts
Ministry team to Word of Life Inn & Family Lodge for Women’s Retreat
Ministry team to Lighthouse Mission in Long Island, New York

May 3
Students to help with Whitewater Derby in North Creek, New York

May 5
Basketball clinic at Mountainside Christian Academy, Schroon Lake, New York
Ministry teams to Sacandaga Bible Conference (Broadalbin, New York) for a work day
Ministry team to Schroon Lake Historical Society for a work day

May 7
Ministry team to Capital City Rescue Mission in Albany, New York

May 8-11
Spanish Ministry Team 2 to Perth, New York

May 9-11
Intersect event in Newburgh, New York

May 14-17
Soccer team to Brooklyn, New York

May 16-18
Intersect event in Waldwick, New Jersey
Ministry team to Word of Life Inn & Family Lodge for Women’s Retreat
Springfield ministry

May 17-18
Collegians to New Durham Chapel, Piscataway, New Jersey
Drama team to Woodlawn Baptist Church (Pawtucket, Rhode Island) and Ellington Baptist Church (Ellington, Connecticut)

May 19
Ministry teams to Sacandaga Bible Conference for a work day
Ministry team to Schroon Lake Historical Society for a work day

May 20
Ministry team to Capital City Rescue Mission in Albany, New York

In addition, most Mondays a team helps the Open Door Soup Kitchen in Glens Falls, New York, and most Wednesdays, a team works with Washington Correctional Facility near Fort Ann, New York.

Click here to read what's behind some of the Bible Institute's newer ministries, including GenReal, Redemption, Student Fusion, and Camp Intersect.

Student Fusion, GenReal, Redemption, Camp Intersect: Bible Institute Ministries, Explained.

Most Bible Institute graduates know exactly what we're talking about when we mention Snow Camp or OAE. But what about the Bible Institute's newer ministries?

Check out some of the Bible Institute's newest ventures below, then visit our ministries schedules to see when and where these groups are headed next.

Student Fusion

Each Student Fusion team takes students, puts them through a week of intense training, and launches them out to a foreign country.

Different language. Different food. Different everything! Each team has the awesome task of sharing Christ with people who are lost and likely haven't had many chances to hear the Gospel.

GenReal

GenReal aims to use God's Word to provide answers to girl-specific issues in an arena where women, mothers, and daughters can be of one mind. These conferences are for girls who want to know genuine and women who want to impart real.

GenReal looks to:
  • Stimulate spiritual growth.
  • Create a venue where friends, moms, and daughters can find answers in a safe atmosphere.
  • Encourage women, mothers, and daughters to get into each other's worlds.
  • Equip moms and women leaders in the local church to help girls effectively.
Redemption

The mission of Redemption is to influence students in schools and youth groups throughout the nation, making a difference in today’s youth culture through music, drama, and worship that glorifies God and brings people to the cross.

Camp Intersect

Click here to see Tom Phillips describe the new ministry.

4.23.2014

Jeju Kitchen: All Finished!

When the Bible Institute opened its Jeju campus in 2012, the teaching site was only partially completed. Classes began without a key piece -- the campus's cafetorium (and kitchen), which not only feeds the students but also is built to be easily expanded beyond its current double function as a teaching space as the student body grows.

Jeju recently finished its cafetorium and kitchen, with volunteer work and donations helping the campus take an important step in its effort to reach all of Asia for Christ.

Check out some photos of the finished kitchen.





4.02.2014

Be Praying: April Ministries Schedule.

Pray along with us during this season of ministry.

April 2-6
Open Air Evangelism trip to New York City
GenReal in Akron, Ohio

April 4-6
Student Fusion at New Hope Bible Church, Irasburg, Vermont
Springfield ministry

April 4-13
Voice of Victory tour (churches visited: First Baptist, Goshen, Indiana; Calvary Baptist Church, Kalamazoo, Michigan; Mayfair Baptist Church, Flushing, Michigan; Fish Lake Bible Church, Sturgis, Michigan; Calvary Baptist Church, Ypsilanti, Michigan; Alfred Almond Bible Church, Almond, New York; alumni events in Getzville, New York, and McMurray, Pennsylvania)

April 5-7
Drama team at Lowville Mennonite Church, Lowville, New York

April 5-13
Collegian tour (churches visited: Seneca Gospel Mission, Buffalo, New York; Centerpointe Community Church, Lancaster, New York; Bailey Road Baptist Church, North Jackson, Ohio; Delaware Bible Church, Delaware, Ohio; Delaware Christian School, Delaware, Ohio; Olmsted Performing Arts Center, Olmsted Falls, Ohio; First Baptist Church-Glen Este, Batavia, Ohio; Bethel Baptist Temple, Cincinnati, Ohio; Colonial Baptist Church, Wintersville, Ohio)

April 6-9
Open Air Evangelism trip to New York City

April 9
Ministry team to Capital City Rescue Mission in Albany, New York

April 9-13
Open Air Evangelism trip to New York City

April 11-13
Student Fusion at North Pownal Congregational Church, North Pownal, Vermont
Praise team and travel team at Syracuse Teens Involved

April 21
Ministry team to Capital City Rescue Mission in Albany, New York

April 25-27
Intersect event in Albany, New York
Ministry team at Word of Life Inn & Family Lodge for Mother-Daughter Retreat
Ministry team to Lighthouse Mission in Long Island, New York

Click here to read what's behind some of the Bible Institute's newer ministries, including GenReal, Redemption, Student Fusion, and Camp Intersect.

3.03.2014

Be Praying: March Ministries Schedule.

Spring is coming, and new ministries along with it. Pray with us this month.

Snow Camp
March 7-9: Snow Camp Weekend 8

Spring Break Trip
March 14-23: Panama Missions Trip

Other Ministries
March 28-29: Praise Team 2, Travel Team, Volunteer Team to Perth Bible Church in Amsterdam, N.Y., for lock-in
March 28-30: Ministry Team to Word of Life Inn & Family Lodge for Law Enforcement and Military Retreat
March 28-30: Springfield Ministry Team to Lion’s Den Outreach in Springfield, Mass.
March 29-31: Collegian Group 1 to Life Source Church in Cherry Valley, Mass., and Twin City Christian School in Lunenburg, Mass.
March 29-30: Drama Team to Calvary Baptist Church in Norwich, N.Y.
March 29-30: Praise Team 1 to Lake Champlain Bible Fellowship in Port Henry, N.Y.

All the Church Support Ministries have started for the spring. About 30 students go to 13 churches on a weekly basis.